Ontario is about to lose the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, as part of cuts announced by the Ford government on November 15, 2018. The details were laid out in Bill 57, which includes proposed amendments to the province’s Environmental Bill of Rights.

For the past 25 years, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has operated as an independent officer, appointed by the Ontario Legislature, not the party in power. It has served the Legislature and the public with careful research, clear explanations and early warnings on issues ranging from air quality through pollinators to wetlands. Some highlights of the ECO’s work are:

– providing an independent, expert voice speaking up for nature and the environment at Queen’s Park